Sigma 50mm f1.4 - new batch = outstanding performer
- Thread starter Canonized
- Start date
Will post Portraits after i go for this Sun shoot.
looking forward to your portraits shots. So tempted to get this for my 7D and payday is coming soon... i sense lots of poison flowing =X
I see that you have a very good setup already. But this Sigma 50mm is really sharp at f2.8 onwards.
Anthony Lee
Senior Member
At f2.8, most 50mm lenses can be just as sharp. Still not convinced that this lens is any better than the Canon 50f1.4 or f1.8. Need to see more photos to show that a normal S$200 50mm lens cannot do.
We are sharing how this Sigma 50mm f1.4 perform. If you feel that Canon 50 f1.4 or 1.8 is better then just buy Canon. Or can even go to shop to test it yourself. I did some simple test with Canon 50mm f1.8 and Sigma 50mm f1.4 at SLR Revolution before i made up my mind to go for Sigma 50mm f1.4. Too bad they dont have stock for Canon 50mm f1.4 at that moment orelse i will have test it also. But i have no regrets getting the Sigma 50mm f1.4 till now.
i have tested both lenses and the sigma is definitely sharper at 1.4. period.
spartacus.ret
Senior Member
when did I say EVERYTHING I say must be right my dear Watson ?
I hope you are right. So at least i made a good purchase. Hahaha.
ManWearPants
Senior Member
My dear friend. The Sigma is not Zeiss or Leica. having own this lens for almost a year now, I believe this lens is at its very best at f4. Anything taken at f4 do not require any PP to adjust tonal curves. Wide open, it is soft but with creamy bokeh. It performs well throughout f2-f8. I have not use beyond f8 for this lens. The strength is that this is a fast AF 50mm with very good light gathering abilities. So good that it sometimes make night shots look too bright so I tend not to use it for night time long exposure. In line with Sigma rendering, the colour is not as contrasty as a Zeiss. But this lens has champion bokeh quality - very smooth. It has a 9 blade aperture so OoF lights appear very round. It also allows for very close focusing ~30cm. This is one of the better 50mm with AF. Great for taking young kids.
In fact this lens has kept me off other 40-60mm range prime lenses so far (other than the macro but that is for a different purpose). It is a very usable lens. Only drawback is it is rather large for a 50mm.
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looking at the pics from this thread, the contrast of this lens is good enuff. no doubt better will be good but the bokeh of this lens really make me wanna own one of it. hope i can get one very soon. for animal and human portrait and my tammy can do solely landscape and walk about only.
ManWearPants
Senior Member
Seriously, I can see where Anthony is coming from. IQ, colour and built wise, there are a lot of 50mm that will beat this Sigma...such as Zeiss (all variants), Summilux 50, Rokkor 58, etc. Price wise, there are also many MF lenses with smaller aperture that will do the job. I have been tempted many times to move away from this lens. However, the AF and reasonably good enough IQ, price point vs performance, ease of use, etc makes me want to keep it. And I have stopped looking at this range.
Check this thread out. You will go lady gaga over the Zeiss Makro Planar.
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/849238
wow thanks for the link. MF need some training i assume. not easy to do MF.
Kidviolente
New Member
because i bought my canon 50mm f/1.4 a few months ago haha
Anthony Lee
Senior Member
MWP, I didn't mean to be cynical as I have alot of respect for this lens. This thread started off extremely well with a good title and some good examples of a potentially good lens. But thereafter, only problems were discussed. I was serious about this lens at one time but this thread really put me off. I have owned a Sigma 50mmf2.8 macro before and it never gave me any problem. What I dislike about Sigma is the 'pinkish' color tones, not very natural as compared to Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, Zeiss, Leica, Pentacon, Mamiya, all of which I have used and still own some. Someday, I will definitely need an AF lens owing to my failing eyesight. And if an AF lens do not have AF accuracy, might as well stick to MF.
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ManWearPants
Senior Member
No worries Anthony. The 50mm is a crowded segment. There is something for everyone. I see you have almost owned every lens at some point. I only wanted 1 lens in this range. I have been tempted by Voigt 40 SLII (portability), Zeiss Makro 50 (colour), Rokkor 58/1.2(bokeh) but ended up still hanging on to my Sigma 50 for its ease of use. This lens is a mixed bag really, abit of this and that but can't really hold up against the best (good enough though). Maybe because my copy did not suffer from any focusing issues - front, back, near or far, (JDM?) so I only have praises for it.
I am not sure of the pinkish colour tone you mentioned. I have yet to noticed them in both my Sigma lenses or maybe have turned a blind eye to it. I recently went to Dubai and decided on a 2 lenses travel kit. I am surprised by my choice - Sigma 12-24 and 50/1.4. They turn out to be excellent choices as the 12-24 came in useful for the Burj Dubai. It requires all of the 12mm to capture the entire height of the building. The 50/1.4 is really useful for capturing the night shots as Dubai only comes alive at night. Have it not been for the AF, i would probably go blind trying to MF at night.
There are definitely some flaws I can find with this lens beyond what is discussed here. But I have brushed it off and accepted the lens for what it is and can do. A lens in hand is better than the two in the window display. It is the one I am shooting with :bsmilie:Another photo at f1.4. The 2 guys sitting in the background is just next to the man in focus on the same bench. I am amaze at the isolation which makes them appear sitting quite a distant away.
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Anthony Lee
Senior Member
No worries Anthony. The 50mm is a crowded segment. There is something for everyone. I see you have almost owned every lens at some point. I only wanted 1 lens in this range. I have been tempted by Voigt 40 SLII (portability), Zeiss Makro 50 (colour), Rokkor 58/1.2(bokeh) but ended up still hanging on to my Sigma 50 for its ease of use. This lens is a mixed bag really, abit of this and that but can't really hold up against the best (good enough though). Maybe because my copy did not suffer from any focusing issues - front, back, near or far, (JDM?) so I only have praises for it.
I am not sure of the pinkish colour tone you mentioned. I have yet to noticed them in both my Sigma lenses or maybe have turned a blind eye to it. I recently went to Dubai and decided on a 2 lenses travel kit. I am surprised by my choice - Sigma 12-24 and 50/1.4. They turn out to be excellent choices as the 12-24 came in useful for the Burj Dubai. It requires all of the 12mm to capture the entire height of the building. The 50/1.4 is really useful for capturing the night shots as Dubai only comes alive at night. Have it not been for the AF, i would probably go blind trying to MF at night.
Another photo at f1.4. The 2 guys sitting in the background is just next to the man in focus on the same bench. I am amaze at the isolation which makes them appear sitting quite a distant away.
MWP, this is more like it, a nice example of a well taken photo. But I still see the 'pinkishness' in its color rendition. Do you have any landscape shots of greeneries and blue skies?
ManWearPants
Senior Member
wah liu...my earlier 3 not good examples? Then I better remove them :bigeyes:
There isn't any greeneries in Dubai. Let me search through my older picts and see if I can find something.
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